For a number of years, plastic wastes have been accumulating at such a rate that there are now huge environmental concerns with their disposal. Options such as landfill and incineration have not been well received by the public, or indeed government legislation, and focus is now firmly upon the use of biodegradable alternatives for mass applications.

One material that has been considered for mass application has been polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). To date, the use of this material has been confined to comparatively low technology applications such as paper coatings and fibre sizing, which rely upon its inherently poor resistance to moisture to initiate degradation and ultimate disposal.

Polyvinyl Alcohol: Materials, Processing and Applications provides a concise introduction to PVOH - the material itself, the processing and applications, and also potential future directions for PVOH.

Dr Vannessa Goodship is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Warwick. She worked in the plastics industry for fourteen years prior to working at Warwick and has acted as co-ordinator for the UK Polymer Recycling Network.

She has now worked in the field of polymer processing for over twenty four years and has published work on a variety of plastic related subjects.